Iran

The Associated Press reports: German media are reporting that prosecutors are investigating suspicions that Iran might be planning attacks on American targets in the country. Get the full story at chicagotribune.com .

It's only been two years since Anahita Ghazvinizadeh moved from Iran to the U.S. to pursue a film-focused master's in studio art at the School of the Art Institute Chicago, but the 23-year-old filmmaker already has racked up a nomination for the Cannes Film Festival's prestigious Cinéfondation Prize. “I was really surprised and very happy,” Ghazvinizadeh said. “We worked really hard on this film, but I wasn't expecting that it would get into a great festival like Cannes.” Ghazvinizadeh's 21-minute short film, “Needle,” the story of a preteen girl getting her ears...

It's only been two years since Anahita Ghazvinizadeh moved from Iran to the U.S. to pursue a film-focused master's in studio art at the School of the Art Institute Chicago, but the 23-year-old filmmaker already has racked up a nomination for the Cannes Film Festival's prestigious Cinéfondation Prize. “I was really surprised and very happy,” Ghazvinizadeh said. “We worked really hard on this film, but I wasn't expecting that it would get into a great festival like Cannes.” Ghazvinizadeh's 21-minute short film, “Needle,” the story of a preteen girl getting her ears...

The Associated Press reports: German media are reporting that prosecutors are investigating suspicions that Iran might be planning attacks on American targets in the country. Get the full story at chicagotribune.com .

The 48th Chicago International Film Festival, the country's oldest competitive film festival, has announced its first round of movie titles that will be featured at this year's event. The film festival, which takes place Oct 11-25 and is themed "A Year of Discovery," will feature more than 150 films from more than 50 countries. "Our programmers have been working non-stop all year in search of the best films from around the world," said Michael Kutza, founder and artistic director of the Chicago International Film Festival.

***1/2 (out of four) When two couples, two kids, a tutor and an ailing father become embroiled in a complicated debate over who's to blame for a woman's miscarriage, “A Separation” becomes what could be described as a lose-lose-lose-lose-lose situation. Everyone has an agenda, and deception has a way of unraveling even the best, most subjectively defensible intentions. Culturally specific but universally relatable, this slowly escalating Iranian drama boasts incredibly impressive motivational clarity.

*** (out of four) Infidelity! Dirty family secrets! Double-crossing! It's the formula for daytime melodrama, but Asghar Farhadi's "The Past" never feels like a soap opera or an "August: Osage County" shouting match. Maybe it's because no one smashes a wine glass or discovers a long-lost evil twin. (Unfortunately.) It's also because Farhadi has such a steady command of drama. As in the superior "A Separation," "The Past" sets up a complicated, extreme-but-feasible situation and observes the domino effect of human decisions and emotions.

*** (out of four) It's not easy to make a reality-based, political, action-comedy that stretches from Tinseltown to Tehran and covers everything from Hollywood satire to public hangings. In his first directorial effort not set in Boston, Ben Affleck (“Gone Baby Gone,” “The Town”) delivers a compelling movie, if not a perfect one. “Argo” leaves you wanting to know more, rather than feeling fully informed about an event that President Clinton declassified 15 years ago. Before your eyes glaze over at the phrase “Iran...

EAT Taste of Andersonville Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St. 773-728-2995 Grab a passport and head to 12 neighborhood restaurants including Andes Restaurant and M Henry on a vegetarian-friendly route ($25-$30), which also includes additional stops at 4 Paws and Koval Distillery for beer and cocktail tastings. 6-9 p.m. RSVP by noon: andersonville.org; or pay at the door. DRINK Cityswarm Patio Series Frontier 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-772-4322 Get over the hump at this beer garden bash where you can...

Filligar, a band of brothers anchored by siblings Johnny, Ted and Pete Mathias (longtime pal Casey Gibson rounds out the lineup), has become accustomed to life on the road. In addition to sustaining a hectic tour schedule, the roots-rock group, which splits its time between Los Angeles and Chicago, recently spent the better part of two weeks working as musical ambassadors in Azerbaijan, a country bordered by Russia to the north and Iran to the south. "I thought someone was playing a practical joke when they first told me [about the trip]

With the Republican primary season under way, it's time for an intervention for my fellow young people who have decided to support the cult of personality that is Ron Paul. Once considered a curiosity, Paul's most radical views have increasingly edged into the mainstream in a pathetic Republican field. Even if, like me, you sympathize with his opinions that we should legalize most drugs and not immediately start a war with Iran, these "youth-popular" stances have allowed him too much cover for his disturbing economic and domestic policy positions.